Auburn is counting down to start of fall practice; some signees are still waiting for clearance

Auburn players officially report Tuesday for fall practice, but don't be fooled by that. The Tigers have been around all summer working out, so much so that quarterback Neil Caudle figures he's thrown about 400 passes a week, or about 4,000 passes since summer workouts began.

You can figure the same for Kodi Burns and everything we hear is that Chris Todd is back in the swing of things now that he's seven months removed from shoulder surgery.

The busy summer hasn't included everybody, however. Five signees are still waiting for the green light from the NCAA Clearinghouse. Three more will be in junior college. One is signing a pro baseball contract. Nineteen signees are on campus, including two that participated in spring practice. Florida State transfer Aubrey Phillips is also expected to be ready Wednesday.

The five that are still waiting for clearance -- which is often just a procedural thing -- are defensive linemen Josh Jackson and Terrance Coleman, defensive back Daren Bates and cornerbacks Demond Washington and Taikwon Paige.

The three going the junior college route are defensive backs Izauea Lanier and Reggie Taylor, as well as wide receiver LaVoyd James. Only Lanier is new news.

**Now, where were we? Oh, yes, quarterbacks. The Tigers, now quite famously, have seven quarterbacks in camp, but one, Barrett Trotter, is out with a knee injury. That means six quarterbacks will be able to showcase their arms, at least for a day or two, when the Tigers begin fall practice next Wednesday. Newcomers? You'd think from all the hype that Tyrik Rollison could be a factor and would be the first who could shake up things. That's the thinking. We've talked to outside college coaches who think Clint Moseley may not break in soon, but will play down the road. Don't let the fact he's coming from a small school, Leroy, fool you, they say. Still, it would seem everyone who was around in the spring would have a big advantage.

**From yesterday, tight end Tommy Trott is on the John Mackey Award watch list. That award goes to the nation's top tight end. Thirty players are on the list. Trott had 20 catches for 201 yards last season. The winner of the award will be announced Dec. 10.